real.faith blog

Pontius Pilate first asked this poignant question on the day Jesus or Nazareth was crucified, and the question still vexes hearers today. Because of His teachings, His life and the events surrounding His death, all must eventually contend with what they believe about this great man.

At issue is the absurdity of His claims. Unlike other religious leaders, Jesus didn’t claim to be a prophet, a teacher or a messenger. He didn’t even claim to only be the Messiah. He claimed to be both Messiah and God in the flesh. To make brushing Him off even more difficult, He performed public miracles, delivered His teachings in the public square and died a public death.

Not only were His life and death played out in public, but after His death, He left an empty tomb behind and publicly appeared to hundreds of people before ascending into Heaven. Since this man from Nazareth claims deity and had a controversial “death,” anyone seeking Truth must wrestle with the question originally posed by Pilate. “What Should I Do With This Jesus?” What does one do with someone who claimed to be God and who’s resurrection story is supported by witnesses who lived during his own time? Could what Jesus said about Himself be true?

If it’s not true, then the Christian faith is founded on lies and all who believe it would be fools. But, if it is actually true and such a person existed who could defeat death, we would be even more foolish not to believe in him.

If you’re curious or searching for the truth, here are a few questions to investigate:

• Does God exist?
• Has God communicated with man?
• If so, does the Bible contain God’s recorded words?
• Does the Bible make predictions about the Messiah?
• Does Jesus meet the qualifications to be that Messiah?
• If Jesus is the Messiah, does that mean He is God, as He claimed?
• If Jesus was God, could He have risen from the dead?

photo credit: JavierPsilocybin